July 31, 201014 yr ^Now's the time to do it- sell high!! I miss the old core, but I'll be excited (if my patience holds out) seeing what happens in the next couple years with the latest wave. Would be nice if we had at least one established starter though...that's a big difference between now and '03 and '04.
August 1, 201014 yr Has Josh Tomlin been traded yet? Deals galore at Dolan's Discount Bargain Bin.. No, but now Kerry Wood is gone. Off to the Yankees, of all places. Someone's going to have to reintroduce me to this team next year. Ain't gonna be this year. It's already football season. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 1, 201014 yr ^Now's the time to do it- sell high!! I miss the old core, but I'll be excited (if my patience holds out) seeing what happens in the next couple years with the latest wave. Would be nice if we had at least one established starter though...that's a big difference between now and '03 and '04. You do realize that if the Dolan's still own the team, that guys like Laporta, Choo, and Santana will in all likelihood be traded away in 3-4 years for more prospects, and another 3-4 years of hoping and waiting..
August 1, 201014 yr I hear the guy (Kluber) we got for Westbrook was the top pitching prospect in the San Diego organization. Amazingly, we got a good prospect (Soto) for Peralta as well. Both guys are 6"4. Kluber was leading his league in strikeouts and was averaging more than 1 KO per inning. The sky is not falling. I like that they are officially going young. Reminds me a bit of the early 90's. They've got some good prospects still yet to make their debuts. Until baseball puts in some type of real salary cap, this is how it is going to have to be for many teams. The Tribe has to focus on making at least one legitimate run every 5 years. Sadly, that's the most we can realistically ask of our owner and front office.
August 2, 201014 yr We lost a class act in Westbook. I wish we didn't trade him. Same here, but I'm glad he went to my favorite NL team. 8-) Hopefully he gets a ring with them!
August 3, 201014 yr Kalish was trying to knock the wind out of Santana during that infamous slide last night. His left knee was way high and he kicked him in the crotch. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10545643
August 3, 201014 yr ^Now's the time to do it- sell high!! I miss the old core, but I'll be excited (if my patience holds out) seeing what happens in the next couple years with the latest wave. Would be nice if we had at least one established starter though...that's a big difference between now and '03 and '04. You do realize that if the Dolan's still own the team, that guys like Laporta, Choo, and Santana will in all likelihood be traded away in 3-4 years for more prospects, and another 3-4 years of hoping and waiting.. I wish more people would stop pointing fingers at the dolan's and muttering things like "cheap", and instead take the time to understand the economic realities and problems with a revenue run baseball based on market size. Dolan isn't the best or the worst owner... But if Dolan is "Cheap", and that's our problem... then I guess all but about 10 owners in baseball are "cheap". Until there are big changes, this is the cycle we and most every other team will see. Build up, make your run. Sell off every 6 years or so (average length of original contracts). I'm sure whichever guys produce out of this core will get contract extensions just like we've been doing for a couple decades. We give them security, they give you 1 or 2 years of free agency. This is the reality of baseball, it is not a cleveland or dolan thing. My best advice to you... Don't develop too many emotional attachments to players on the team. Root for the front of the jersey, not the back. There certainly seems to be some promising talent here.
August 3, 201014 yr These kids are playing hard and competing. Its actually fun to watch right now. I expect the tribe to be in the thick of things in the central division for the next couple of years. Oh yea C.Perez is a beast!
August 3, 201014 yr Kalish was trying to knock the wind out of Santana during that infamous slide last night. His left knee was way high and he kicked him in the crotch. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10545643 Im still tryign to decied if it was "dirty". Honestly, I don't think Kalish expected the throw to be there from Choo, or he might have tried a hook slide. Choo has an absolute gun and it could have just surprised him.
August 3, 201014 yr Choo has an absolute gun and it could have just surprised him. Yeah, that was a ridiculous throw from right field. You may be right, it was a very awkward looking slide, he may have just panicked. To lighten things up a bit (or maybe make them worse), Indians Apologize For Not Having Ace Pitcher To Trade To Contender This Year http://www.theonion.com/articles/indians-apologize-for-not-having-ace-pitcher-to-tr,17819/
August 3, 201014 yr Indians Apologize For Not Having Ace Pitcher To Trade To Contender This Year August 2, 2010 | ISSUE 46•30 CLEVELAND—Addressing fans, rival MLB teams, and commissioner Bud Selig, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro delivered a heartfelt apology Tuesday, lamenting the lack of a Cy Young Award–winning pitcher his team could trade to a legitimate contender. http://www.theonion.com/articles/indians-apologize-for-not-having-ace-pitcher-to-tr,17819/
August 3, 201014 yr Indians Apologize For Not Having Ace Pitcher To Trade To Contender This Year August 2, 2010 | ISSUE 46•30 CLEVELAND—Addressing fans, rival MLB teams, and commissioner Bud Selig, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro delivered a heartfelt apology Tuesday, lamenting the lack of a Cy Young Award–winning pitcher his team could trade to a legitimate contender. http://www.theonion.com/articles/indians-apologize-for-not-having-ace-pitcher-to-tr,17819/ Damn that's funny and I can't even read it due to my work webfilter...
August 3, 201014 yr Wow. Two messages of the same article posted within 45 seconds of each other... Were you two (Niko and X) separated at birth? Funny article, BTW. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 3, 201014 yr ^Now's the time to do it- sell high!! I miss the old core, but I'll be excited (if my patience holds out) seeing what happens in the next couple years with the latest wave. Would be nice if we had at least one established starter though...that's a big difference between now and '03 and '04. You do realize that if the Dolan's still own the team, that guys like Laporta, Choo, and Santana will in all likelihood be traded away in 3-4 years for more prospects, and another 3-4 years of hoping and waiting.. I wish more people would stop pointing fingers at the dolan's and muttering things like "cheap", and instead take the time to understand the economic realities and problems with a revenue run baseball based on market size. Dolan isn't the best or the worst owner... But if Dolan is "Cheap", and that's our problem... then I guess all but about 10 owners in baseball are "cheap". Until there are big changes, this is the cycle we and most every other team will see. Build up, make your run. Sell off every 6 years or so (average length of original contracts). I'm sure whichever guys produce out of this core will get contract extensions just like we've been doing for a couple decades. We give them security, they give you 1 or 2 years of free agency. This is the reality of baseball, it is not a cleveland or dolan thing. My best advice to you... Don't develop too many emotional attachments to players on the team. Root for the front of the jersey, not the back. There certainly seems to be some promising talent here. Excellent post. I just hope management makes better decisions about who needs to be a part of the "core" in the future. Contracts in recent years given to Hafner, and to a lesser extent Peralta, have really hamstrung the payroll. I hate to say it, but without those extensions, I think they could have made a sizable, fair offer to Sabathia. I don't there was any way Lee was going to stay, so I'm not as worried about what they could have offered him.
August 6, 201014 yr But this sucks.... Indians rookie C Carlos Santana out for season with injured left knee, surgery set for Friday 08-05-2010 05:42 PM EDT BOSTON (Associated Press) -- Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana is set to have surgery on his injured left knee and will miss the rest of the season. Santana was hurt Monday night in a home-plate collision with Boston's Ryan Kalish. Santana will have surgery Friday to repair his lateral collateral ligament. The Indians say the recovery time is four to six months and that Santana is expected to be ready for the 2011 season. READ MORE AT: http://ww2.cox.com/myconnection/cleveland/today/news/local-sports/article.cox?articleId=D9HDJ0L00&moduleType=apNews "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 6, 201014 yr ^ figures, I'm taking my kids to the game on Sunday. Tough loss last night, but Tomlin continues to look good (grand slam nothwithstanding)
August 6, 201014 yr We took the kids two weekends ago on Sliders birthday (free cupcakes!). Good time had by all, it was raining in the morning up until game time, so they didn't have the inflatables set up for kids day. They do a nice job with the kids day stuff. Your kids should have a good time. Just make sure they know how to shout "choooooo', my kids have started doing it at home too. Sucks that Santana is out for the rest of the season on a semi-dirty slide...
August 6, 201014 yr Unfortunately, when I took them last year I had won seats via an auction, and we got to have brunch in the Terrace Club before hand. They got to make their own waffles, then watch part of the game from the window balcony seats. Now they expect it. No, kids, you have to just sit in your seat and eat a regular hot dog like the rest of the hoi polloi.
August 6, 201014 yr Ha. Yeah my kids haven't been to Terrace Club yet but usually we end up in Section 138 where my parents have a part of the season ticket pack. So they expect to be able to actually be able to see the players. My 8 yo is really getting into it. He has been listening to the games every night when falls asleep. They are a exciting young team playing slightly better than .500 ball so you can watch them now because you know they have a chance to win on any given night, unfortunately they torched their seasonin the first half. I hope Acta has better luck carry momentum through to the next season than Wedge did.
September 4, 201014 yr The fact that this is the first post in the Indians thread in a month -- during the season, no less -- sure says a lot! But I had to give props to the PD for an awesome headline: With no firepower, Cleveland Indians end up surrendering to French http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2010/09/without_firepower_cleveland_in.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 9, 201014 yr Top of the 16th against the Angels...this is comical. Finally put out of their misery, good god. Can't believe I stayed awake to watch the end of that. I guess I was hoping it would keep going to see if Marte was sent out to pitch again.
October 13, 201014 yr Uh, Oh! Shin-Soo Choo Wants Out of Cleveland By Eugene McCormick. Published on 10/12/2010 - 9:46pm Warning signs were up when Shin-Soo Choo signed Scott Boras to be his agent. Now, it is code red if your a Cleveland Indians fan. Choo wants out of Cleveland according to a published report. Choo told the Korea Times: "As with other players, I also want to transfer to a team which wins more. If I could move to a better team, I could generate a better record and improve more." http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/14987
October 13, 201014 yr Uh, Oh! Shin-Soo Choo Wants Out of Cleveland By Eugene McCormick. Published on 10/12/2010 - 9:46pm Warning signs were up when Shin-Soo Choo signed Scott Boras to be his agent. Now, it is code red if your a Cleveland Indians fan. Choo wants out of Cleveland according to a published report. Choo told the Korea Times: "As with other players, I also want to transfer to a team which wins more. If I could move to a better team, I could generate a better record and improve more." http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/14987 Do the Yankees need outfield help? The MLB is a joke.
October 13, 201014 yr Can't really blame Choo. When you play sports, you play to win the big one, and for a variety of reasons, the Indians are simply not capable of doing that.
October 13, 201014 yr The Indians chance at success involves catching lightening in a bottle once every 5 years
October 13, 201014 yr And until the salaries are capped teams like Cleveland will only compete occasionally... Indeed, MLB is a joke not worth supporting.
October 13, 201014 yr A lack of a Salary cap is undoubtedly a part of the problem, but the Indians have a lot of other problems, many of which have to do with consistent terrible decisions by the Dolans and the GMs: 1. Kerry Wood getting $10/yr for 2 years is up there with the Colavito trade. A historic mistake. 2. Haffner had a known shoulder injury and was starting to slide prior to the 4 year contract. 3. Terrible, terrible drafting year after year. 4. Not receiving top Philly prospects for Cliff was unconscionable. That was a hail Mary deal. 5. Marte consistently playing for the last 3 years is just retarded. 6. Ticket prices are too high considering the lousy economy and lousy product. Especially for bleachers. 7. No power hitters 8. Playing an injured Grady over and over 9. Trading veterans every mid season and losing fan favorites. I can understand the strategy with, but so far Laporta, Brantley, Carrasco, etc have been at best mediocre. At what point will the front office stop with these fire sales. 10. Front office not addressing crappy hitting and horrid defense, 11. Owners not really connecting with fans, not really openly addressing problems with team other than 'they're kids' and 'wahh, no salary cap' and 'small market'. Colorado, Minnesota, and Tampa are proof that these are just excuses. 12. The Victor trade. Truly a slap to the face to Victor, the fans, and the entire team. 13. Promotions to lousy management. Think Shaprio and Antonetti. 14. The Westbrook deal. His injury was unpredictable and wins were pretty good before getting hurt, but his WHIP was not all that impressive, gave up a lot of hits. Certainly not worth $11million/yr for 3 yrs for a "small market" team.
October 15, 201014 yr http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2010/10/korean_reporter_apologizes_to.html Best part of the story, "If South Korea wins the gold medal in baseball at the Asian Games, the South Korean government may excuse Choo from his two years of required military service." Korean reporter apologizes to Cleveland Indians for story about Shin-Soo Choo Published: Friday, October 15, 2010, 10:42 AM Updated: Friday, October 15, 2010, 11:30 AM Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Korean Times reporter who wrote a story quoting Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo as saying he preferred to "transfer' to a winning team has apologized to the Indians for mistakes in the story. Yoon Chul wrote the Indians and said editing problems, which omitted information, caused the confusion. Chul said Choo had "no idea' about the author's use of the word "transfer." Another Korean journalist Tweeted the Indians giving his version of what Choo said Sunday at the Los Angeles Airport before leaving for South Korea to prepare for the Asian Games in November....
October 15, 201014 yr A lack of a Salary cap is undoubtedly a part of the problem, but the Indians have a lot of other problems, many of which have to do with consistent terrible decisions by the Dolans and the GMs: 1. Kerry Wood getting $10/yr for 2 years is up there with the Colavito trade. A historic mistake. 2. Haffner had a known shoulder injury and was starting to slide prior to the 4 year contract. 3. Terrible, terrible drafting year after year. 4. Not receiving top Philly prospects for Cliff was unconscionable. That was a hail Mary deal. 5. Marte consistently playing for the last 3 years is just retarded. 6. Ticket prices are too high considering the lousy economy and lousy product. Especially for bleachers. 7. No power hitters 8. Playing an injured Grady over and over 9. Trading veterans every mid season and losing fan favorites. I can understand the strategy with, but so far Laporta, Brantley, Carrasco, etc have been at best mediocre. At what point will the front office stop with these fire sales. 10. Front office not addressing crappy hitting and horrid defense, 11. Owners not really connecting with fans, not really openly addressing problems with team other than 'they're kids' and 'wahh, no salary cap' and 'small market'. Colorado, Minnesota, and Tampa are proof that these are just excuses. 12. The Victor trade. Truly a slap to the face to Victor, the fans, and the entire team. 13. Promotions to lousy management. Think Shaprio and Antonetti. 14. The Westbrook deal. His injury was unpredictable and wins were pretty good before getting hurt, but his WHIP was not all that impressive, gave up a lot of hits. Certainly not worth $11million/yr for 3 yrs for a "small market" team. Yeah, and I'd add "drastically underperforming" to the list. Part of that is up to the players, but a lot of that is management/coaches. 2005 they were the best team in baseball in the second half...except the last week of the season when they inexcplicably choked losing 6 of 7 (including getting swept by White Sox). 2006 their pitching failed them. CC was good, but Lee was screwed up and Westbrook was off and Paul Byrd was Paul Byrd (replacing Millwood who had led the league in ERA in 2005). 2007 they put it together, only to choke again against the Red Sox. CC won the Cy Young that year and pulled a complete no-show against Boston, losing both starts...including game 5 which he could have rebounded from game 1 to clinch it. 2008 - You're telling me with the reigning Cy young award winner and that season's Cy Young award winner on the roster at the start of the season and you can't compete? Victor and Hafner getting hurt right away didn't help, but still...teams win with stud pitching and weak offense all the time. 28 games over .500 gets you into the palyoffs and Lee was 19 games over .500 by himself. You're telling me you couldn't have stuck with CC and between him and the rest of the starters ended up another 9 games over .500? Then by 2009 they packed it up and entered "let's just make tons of money regardless of team performance" mode. And they're still there now. But a lot of that I blame on coaching and management. The players were there and were just underperforming...and they just kept doing the same thing repeatedly hoping for it to change...
October 15, 201014 yr ^Also messed up about 2005 was Millwood's record. Leads the league in ERA on a good team and still has a losing record. The last 10 days of the season were the worse of my baseball life.
December 16, 201014 yr Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller dies By the CNN Wire Staff December 16, 2010 12:09 a.m. EST (CNN) -- Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller died Wednesday night in Cleveland, Ohio, of acute leukemia, according to a statement from the Cleveland Indians. He was 92. Feller was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in August and underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to implant a pacemaker in October. In mid-November, Feller was hospitalized with pneumonia. The major leaguer was an icon for Indians fans. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/12/15/feller.obit/
December 16, 201014 yr everyone should take some time to read about Bob Feller today. He led an amazing life.
December 16, 201014 yr I recommend reading this, by former Clevelander Joe Posnanski. RIP Bob Feller Baseball | Comments Bob Feller threw three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters during his 18-year career -- all with the Indians. (Walter Iooss Jr./SI) One of my earliest memories was seeing Bob Feller in a jacket and tie. My father took me to some sort of morning meeting in Cleveland — a small room, in my memory, filled with metal folding chairs placed in uneven rows — and Bob Feller stood behind a lectern (and perhaps in front of a chalkboard; for some reason I see a chalkboard). I do not remember a single thing he said. I only remember him standing in the front of the room, and the awe he inspired, and my father telling me this: “That’s Bob Feller. He threw the ball faster than anyone who ever lived.” http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/12/16/rip-bob-feller/
December 16, 201014 yr An excellent sory on Bob Feller's passing by the Akron beacon Journal: BOB FELLER 1918-2010 Feller dies, legend lives 'Rapid Robert' unhittable in prime, won 266 By Marla Ridenour Beacon Journal sports columnist Published on Thursday, Dec 16, 2010 Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, the winningest pitcher in Indians history and one of baseball's greatest right-handers, died Wednesday night. He was 92. Feller died of acute leukemia at a hospice where he had been moved in recent weeks, said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians vice president of public relations. He had been in failing health for months. He was diagnosed with leukemia this summer and underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed. Read more at: http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/111983234.html
December 16, 201014 yr Nice long obit in the NYTimes too: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/sports/baseball/16feller.html?hp I loved this part. It's like some kind of bizzaro version of today's sports world: But in the autumn of 1936, the Indians almost lost Feller. The owner of the independent Des Moines minor league team, which had coveted him, contended that Feller had been acquired by the Indians in violation of baseball rules that governed the signing of amateurs. The baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, could have made Feller a free agent who would have commanded huge contract offers in a bidding frenzy. But Feller wanted to stay with the Indians, and his father threatened to sue if Landis did not allow that. The commissioner permitted the Indians to keep Feller, and in January 1937 he signed a one-year contract with them for only $10,000. He would never spend a day in the minor leagues.
December 16, 201014 yr RIP Bob Feller. I met him once and he was a very gracious man. In addition to my appreciation for his military service, was impressed how he stayed around the Indians through the decades. He and the late-Mel Harder helped me appreciate the team's long history, of which Feller was around the team to see one-third of it. Young people from here on out will lose that link to the past unless someone else steps up to fill the void left by Feller. But they can only fill a part of it given Feller's longevity. Thanks Bob for staying part of the team long after you retired. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 16, 201014 yr From the PD/Cleveland.com obit (http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2010/12/the_greatest_cleveland_indian.html): Feller, who had learned to fly an airplane in 1939, bought a Beechcraft Bonanza in the late 1940s and would fly the small craft from his home in Gates Mills to Burke Lakefront Airport for Indians games. Then he would get on a collapsible scooter and drive to the nearby ballpark. Awesome.
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